Contenders in the Likud primaries will face a crucial test on Tuesday as 120,000 party members will select the official candidate list for the upcoming Knesset election on April 9.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, denied a report that he was pushing behind the scenes to secure coveted spots on the party ticket for his preferred candidates.
Each party running for the Knesset compiles a list of up to 120 potential Knesset members. The number of representatives of each party who actually wind up serving in the Knesset is based on the percentage of the vote the party gets in a Knesset election.
Rules for determining Knesset lists vary from party to party. Tuesday's Likud primary will determine who will be listed and how high on the list. The higher the spot, the likelier it is they will serve in the Knesset.
After Israel Hayom reported over the weekend that Netanyahu had compiled an endorsement list and a 'hit list' for candidates, the prime minister released a statement saying:
"My endorsement list includes all incumbent Likud lawmakers. That is why I made sure to increase the number of spots up for grabs in the nation-wide primary," Netanyahu said. "I have full faith that Likud members will choose the best people from the great crop of candidates."
According to the Israel Hayom report, Netanyahu has actively lobbied Likud members to vote for those he wants to see high up on the Likud ticket.
MK Amir Ohana (Likud) reportedly tops the endorsement list. Netanyahu repeatedly praised Ohana during the controversy over the nation-state law passed last summer, which defines Israel as a Jewish state. Culture and Sports Minister Miri Regev is second on the unofficial list, and Netanyahu made sure to pose with her during a photo-op last week.
Tourism Minister Yariv Levin, with whom Netanyahu met recently to announce record tourism numbers, is also said to be high on the list, as is Transportation and Road Safety Minister Yisrael Katz, with whom Netanyahu has attended ribbon-cutting ceremonies for new roads.
Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz is not far behind on the list.
Another group of Likud officials who made the cut, although not as high up on the endorsement list, are Science and Technology Minister Ofir Akunis and Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely, as well as Coalition Chairman David Amsalem. Aliyah and Integration Minister Yoav Gallant is reportedly also in that group.
Netanyahu also plans to ask Likud members to approve a measure that would empower him to handpick the identity of the candidates on three spots on the Knesset list: 21, 28 and 36.
The measure would help the party if and when it decides to run on a joint list with other parties on the Right, particularly if the Left unites. Netanyahu has recently written to Likud members that "the measure is necessary in order to boost our chances to win the election."
